Locking sliders

ABSTRACT

SLIDERS FOR SLIDING CLASP FASTENERS ARE PROVIDED WITH A RECESS OF RELATIVELY NARROW WIDTH EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE BODY OF THE SLIDER FOR RECEIVING A SPRING MEMBER COOPERATING WITH A PULL TAB IN RETAINING THE SLIDER IN LOCKED POSITION ON THE FASTENER. THE SPRING-RECEIVING RECESS IS FORMED TRANSVERSELY OF THE SLIDER AND OCCUPIES A MINIMUM PROPORTION OF AREA OF THE   SLIDER STRUCTURE TO RETAIN ADEQUATE MECHANICAL STRENGTH THEREOF. IT IS NEARLY FULLY COVERED BY THE PULL TAB SO AS TO PREVENT ENTRY OF FOREIGN MATTERS.

United States Patent Takamatsu [111 3,820,203 June 28, 1974 LOCKING SLIDERS [75] Inventor: Ikuo Takamatsu, Uozu, Japan [73] Assignee: Yoshida Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha,

Tokyo, Japan 221 Filed: Aug.2, 1972 21 Appl. No.: 277,293

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Aug. 4, l97l Japan 46-69598 [52] US. Cl 24/205.l4 A, 24/252 B [51] Int. Cl A44b 19/30 [58] Field of Search 24/205.14 R, 205.14 A, 24/252 B, 252 .l

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,059,582 ll/l936 Hurewitz 24/252 J 2,2l4,705 9/1940 Carlile 24/205.l4 A- 2.26l,l33 ll/l94l Grant 24/205.l4A

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 950,856 2/1964 Great Britain 24/205.l4 A

617,129 2/l96l ltaly 24/205.l4 A 809,030 2/1959 Great Britain 24/205.l4 A 952,602 3/1964 Great Britain 24/205.l4 A

Primary Examiner-Bernard A. Gelak Attorney. Agent, or Firm-Robert E. Burns; Emmanuel J. Lobato; Bruce L. Adams [57] ABSTRACT Sliders for sliding clasp fasteners are provided with a recess of relatively narrow width extending transversely of the body of the slider for receiving a spring member cooperating with a pull tab in retaining the slider in locked position on the fastener. The springreceiving recess is formed transversely of the slider and occupies a minimum proportion of area of the slider structure to retain adequate mechanical strength thereof. lt is nearly fully covered by the pull tab so as to prevent entry of foreign matters.

9 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures This invention relates to sliding clasp fasteners and in particular to the provision of improved locking sliders therefor.

Known sliders of the locking type have been provided with locking prongs or pins integral with, or fixed to, a swingable pull tab, which prongs or pins are manually engageable between adjacent interlocking fastener elements of the fastener through the agency of spring members to lock the slider by preventing endwise movement thereof with respect to the rows of fastener elements mounted along opposed longitudinal edges of mating stringer tapes of the fastener.

Such locking sliders have been widely used for their inherent advantage that they are relatively simple and provide a positive lock. They have, however, certain disadvantages which the present invention aims to overcome. Conventional sliders of the type described have been provided witha relatively large recess for receiving in most cases a leaf spring member, which recess extends lengthwise of longitudinally of the center portion of the upper wing member of the slider. Due to the presence of the relatively large recess, they lack mechanical strength and are less durable. Another notable disadvantage of the conventional sliders is that since the forward end of the spring-receiving recess extends further beyond and ahead of the lugs on which the pull tab is pivotally supported, the paint or coating materials that are usually applied to the slider find their way into and deposit themselves in the recess with the result that the spring becomes uncompressive and the desired locking effect of the slider is lost.

Whereas, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved slider construction which is rendered more durable and prohibits entry of the coating materials or foreign matter into the spring-receiving recess, thus eliminating the above-noted disadvantages of the conventional sliders.

This object of the invention is achieved by the provision of a slider for sliding clasp fasteners comprising a pair of interconnected wing members forming therebetween a fastener guide channel, a pull tab pivotally connected at one end to the one or upper wing member and having a locking prong adapted to extend through an opening in said upper wing member into said fastener guide channel to lock the slider when the pull tab is swung into. a horizontal position, said upper wing member provided with a relatively narrow recess extending transversely of the slider immediately under the pivotal axis of said pull tab, and having its greater portion covered by said pull tab, an elongated rod-like transversely extending spring member mounted in said recess and concealed under said pull tab from external exposure and a cam on said one end of the pull tab cooperating with said spring to retain the pull tab in its horizontal, locking position.

The above and other objects and features of the invention will be further apparent in the course of the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view on enlarged scale of a locking slider embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line ll-ll of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line Ill-Ill of FIG. 1 and showing a rod spring member;

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view of a modified slider construction according to the invention; and

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view similar to F IG. 3 but showing a leaf spring member.

Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various figures of the drawings.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 to 3 inclusive, there is shown a slider of the locking type 10 which comprises slide member including a front or upper wing member 11 and a rear or lower wing member 12 interconnected at their forward ends by a neck member 13. The upper wing member 11 is provided with similar side flanges 14 which cooperates with the neck 13 to form between the upper and lower wing members a substantially Y- shaped fastener guide channel 15 for passing a sliding clasp fastener carrying interlocking elements (not shown).

The upper wing member 11 is further provided at its outer surface with a pair of laterally spaced upwardly projecting lugs 16 each provided with a transverse recess 17 for receiving pivotally therein a pull tab 18 later described.

Arranged under the pivotal axis 19 of the pull tab 18 is a transverse spring-accommodating recess 20 of relatively narrow width aligned with the first-mentioned recess l7 and having a central concave wall 21 and opposite flat side lands 22. There is shown a rod spring member 30 accommodated in the recess 20 and flexibly supported at its opposite ends on the side lands 22.

The pull tab 18 which is generally of a plate-like configuration has at one or forward end an integrally formed pin member 23 pivotally mounted in the transverse recess 17. It is also provided adjacent the pin member 23 with a downwardly projecting locking prong or pin 24 for moving into and out of an opening 25 formed in the upper wing member 11 and communicating with the guide channel 15. The pull tab is further provided with a downwardly directed cam 26 integral with an extreme end of the tab immediately adjacent the pivotal axis thereof.

The cam 26 cooperates with the spring 30 in retaining the pull tab 18 in the horizontal locked position as shown in FIG. 3 (FIG. 5) in which the locking prong 24 extends through the opening 25 into the guide channel 15 and engages between adjacent interlocking elements of the fastener, thereby holding the slider 10 in locked disposition with respect to the fastener. When releasing the slider 10 from this locked position, the pull tab 18 is mannually rotated about the pivotal axis 19 counter-clockwise as viewed in the drawings until the locking prong 24 is disengaged from the fastener elements. In this instance, the cam 26 of the pull tab 18 compresses the spring 30, causing the same to flex arcuately towards the concave wall 21. Clockwise rotation of the pull tab 18 brings the locking prong 24 into locking engagement with the space between adjacent fastener elements in known manner. This locking position is maintained by the spring return action of the spring member 30 in abutment with the cam.26 against accidental, unintentional movement of the slider.

It is to be noted that the spring-supporting recess 20 is of a minimum width required for receiving a small rod spring and extends transversely of the slider 10, occupying a minor proportion of the area of the slider 3 body so that the slider 10 can retain sufficient mechanical strength per se. Another advantageous feature of the slider according to the invention is found in that a greater portion of the spring-supporting recess 20 and the whole portion of the spring 30 are covered by the pull tab 18 that overlies them in its locking position and are thus prevented from direct exposure to the paint or coating materials applied to the slider as in the usual practice.

There is shown in FIG. 4 a modification of the slide 10 shown in FIGS. 1 3 in which the upper wing member 11 is provided with a centrally rising lug 16' having a pin-receiving bore 31 for pivotally receiving a centrally reduced portion or pin 32 of a pull tab 18. The pull tab 18 has a cam 26' extending on opposite ends of the pin 32 for abutting engagement with the spring member 30 which is centrally supported on an upwardly projecting land 33 defining with the inner walls 34 of the side flanges 14 bifurcated recesses 20 for providing an escape for the respective ends of the spring member 30 when this latter is compressed by the pull tab 18.

The embodiment shown in H0. is substantially identical to the slider shown in FIGS. 1 3 only except for a minor change in the form of the springreceiving recess to adapt the same for accommodating a leaf spring instead of the above described rod spring 30.

Having thus described the invention, it will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made in the specific form and construction herein advanced, without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A slider for sliding clasp fasteners comprising, a pair of interconnected wing members forming therebetween a fastener guide channel, a pull tab pivotally connected at one end to the one or upper wing member and having a locking prong positioned to extend through an opening in said upper wing member into said fastener guide channel to lock the slider when the pull tab is swung into a horizontal position, said upper wing member provided with a relatively narrow recess extending transversely of the slider immediately under the pivotal axis of said pull tab, and having its greater portion covered by said pull tab, an elongated rod-like transversely extending spring member mounted in said recess substantially underneath the pivot axis of said pull tab and completely concealed under said pull tab from external exposure and a cam on said one end of the pull tab engageable and cooperating with said spring to retain the pull tab in its horizontal, locking position.

2. A slider as defined in claim 1 wherein said spring member is flexibly supported at its opposite ends in said recess. 1

3. A slider as defined in claim 1 wherein said, recess has a centrally upwardly projecting land for supporting the central portion of said spring member flexibly thereon.

4. A slider for sliding fasteners comprising a slider member having means defining a fastener guide channel therein and an opening therein extending to said channel; a pull tab pivotally mounted at one end portion thereof to said slider member for pivotal movement between an unlocking position and a locking position and having a locking pin projecting therefrom and aligned with said opening to extend therethrough when said tab is in said locking position; and means for maintaining said tab in said locking position comprising an elongated rod-like spring member mounted parallel to the pivot axis of said tab substantially underneath said pivot axis and completely covered by said tab when same is in both the locking and unlocking positions whereby said spring member is protected from the entry of foreign matter and at least one cam mounted on said one end portion of said tab and engageable and coactive with said spring member to oppose movement of said tab out of said locking position.

5. A slider according to claim 4, wherein said spring member is mounted on said slider member at the end portions of said spring member and said cam is positioned to coact with the central portion of said spring member.

6. A slider according to claim 5, wherein said spring member comprises a rod spring.

7. A slider according to claim 4, wherein said spring member is mounted on said slider member at the central portion of said spring member and wherein said means for maintaining comprises two cams each positioned to coact with one end portion of said spring member.

8. A slider according to claim 7, wherein said spring member comprises a rod spring.

9. A slider according to claim 7, wherein said spring member comprises a leaf spring. 

